Ready or Not (Ready #4)(44)

“And no terrible memories to erase. Give yourself some time to heal. You don’t need to rush with me. I’ll be here whenever you’re ready.”

I shook my head in astonishment. “You must be the first man in history to say no to sex after a make-out session like that.”

“I never said I didn’t want to. It damn near killed me to pull away from you, but I had to. When that day does come and we don’t stop, I want it to feel like there is only you and me and no one else left on the planet.”

“Like Adam and Eve?” I quipped, a mischievous grin spreading across my face.

He laughed, obviously grateful for the break. We’d been serious for far too long.

“They were the first two people on earth. I said, the last. It would be more like a bad sci-fi film…but with really amazing sex.”

“So, a sci-fi porn?”

We both broke into hysterics.

“I’ll rock your sci-fi world.” He grinned.

“I can’t wait for that. I’ll go home and raid my secret stash of Star Trek costumes I saved for instances just like this.”

“Awesome. It’s a date.”

~Jackson~

“I’m fairly certain I could lie here for the rest of my life,” Liv said, stretching out languidly on the towel she’d laid across the boat bench. Her eyes were closed as she basked in a barely there bikini under the warm glow of the hot summer sun. It was a beautiful sight.

I’d suggested going boating early Sunday morning, and everyone had answered with an enthusiastic yes.

When staying at a multimillion-dollar lake house with a boat that would make most people weep in envy, how could we not take that baby out for a spin?

“I’m fairly certain I could do nothing but watch you lie there in that bikini for the rest of my life,” I answered back with a devilish smile.

Her eyes peeked opened as her hands cupped her face to block the sun. “No, you’d eventually cave and fall prey to my beguiling beauty.”

I rose from my spot across from her and knelt down before her. The smells of coconut and the tropics assailed my senses, making my mouth water, as my eyes took in Liv’s nearly naked form in front of me. Bikinis really were an amazing creation.

“Definitely beguiling,” I agreed before placing a tender kiss on her shoulder.

“Gross,” Noah said, announcing his arrival from down below where he’d gone to forage for snacks and drinks.

Mark couldn’t have just bought a regular speedboat. He practically had a yacht with a cabin below that was big enough to sleep an entire family and decked out with a gourmet mini kitchen and full bathroom.

Who needed a hotel when we had one that could float?

“You’re just jealous,” I answered.

He tossed me the soda I’d requested. Being the gentleman I’d taught him to be, he politely handed Liv her bottle of water. She thanked him, and he quietly replied as he took a seat next to her. She sat up and twisted off the top of her water bottle.

“Who’s ready for some fun?” I asked as I stood and settled back into the seat across from them.

Both looked at me with blank faces.

“I thought we were already having fun?” Liv challenged.

“Okay, let me rephrase. Who’s ready for more fun?”

Liv turned sideways to meet Noah’s gaze. They both lifted their eyebrows and broke into laughter. I watched in complete bafflement as the two continued to laugh, and then they finally turned toward me and raised their hands like kindergartners. Both hands shook in the air as if they were children begging for restroom passes. Soon, pleading followed.

“Me, me, me! Fun!” Noah yelled at the same time Liv said, “So excited!”

“Okay, stop placating me. Jerks.”

The laughter continued, and I just shook my head, pretending to be slightly annoyed. In reality, I was overjoyed at the relationship Liv and Noah had created. It wasn’t just the fact that he had grown close to the woman I was dating, even though that was an added bonus. It was simply that he had connected with someone—period. Since my parents had moved, I’d watched him retreat, almost refusing to allow himself to become overly attached to anyone—adults in particular.

I knew my parents had done what was best for them, and I loved knowing they were happy in their retirement, but Noah really missed his grandparents. Being with Liv slightly helped to ease the strain.

“So, what are we doing, Master of Fun?” Liv asked.

The laughter had died down a bit, but I could tell she was desperately trying to hold it in.

“I thought we could take turns on the inner tube.”

“Oh, man!” Noah yelled out in enthusiasm.

“See? Your old man really is the Master of Fun.”

“Hell yeah,” he answered.

When I gave him the death stare, he immediately amended it to, “I mean, heck yeah!”

“So, who wants to go first?” I asked.

“Me!” Noah called out, nearly bouncing up from his spot on the bench.

“Anyone?” I asked, pretending not to see my son wildly flailing his arms in front of me.

“Me, me, Dad! Please!”

“So, no one then?”

“Seriously, Dad?” he shouted.

He grabbed my waist in a bear hug and nearly tackled me to the ground.